Updated Aug 2021
If, like me, you are looking around to sort out flu shots in the midst of this crazy coronavirus pandemic, hopefully this article will let you know how you can quickly sort this out at Walmart. It is a simple outline of your different options.
You can either book an appointment online with the Walmart app, walk in for a shot without an appointment. You can get either quadrivalent flu vaccine, or a high dose vaccine for the elderly. Prices start at $25.00 for those without health insurance, but if you have health insurance it is in many cases free.
Contents Overview & Quicklinks
How to arrange your flu shot at Walmart ?
Does Medicare pay for flu shots at Walmart ?
How much does a flu shot cost at Walmart if you have to pay ?
Why is it so important for the elderly to get flu shots ?
What other vaccines are available at Walmart ?
Does medicare cover flu shots at Walgreens ?
How much is the flu vaccine at Walgreens if you have n insurance ?
Does Medicare pay for flu shots at Rite Aid ?
What is the cost of a flu vaccine at Rite Aid without insurance ?
Does Medicare cover flu shots at Costco ?
How much does a flu shot at Costco cost without insurance ?
Does Medicare cover flu shots at CVS
What do flu vaccines cost at CVS without insurance ?
How to arrange a flu shot at Walmart ?
To organize a flu shot at Walmart, you will need to –
- locate a store with a pharmacy near you (if you don’t know where that is)
- make an appointment using their online booking system or
- walk into a Walmart and ask for a flu shot there and then or
- go to what Walmart calls a flu shot event
- download and fill out the online questionnaire which is required prior to shots, if you don’t want to do that in the store
Find a local Walmart with a pharmacy
You can use the store finder on the Walmart website, which you will find here.
Digital Appointment Scheduler
Walmart set up a new Digital Appointment Scheduler on the Walmart Mobile App.
On the scheduler, you can book your appointment at a local store with a pharmacy.
There is an online patient questionnaire that you will be asked to fill in prior to the appointment – it is a type of consent form so that you can receive the flu vaccination.
On arrival at the Walmart pharmacy, you will be screened for Covid-19, before you are given the flu shot. If you are found to be ill, the shot will be delayed to a further date
You can download the Walmart Mobile App here.
Walk-in appointments
Walk-in appointments are also available for flu shots.
Of course, there is no way to determine how long you will have to wait if there are no available staff to administer the vaccine.
Walk-in appointments should be available at all Walmart store with a pharmacy.
Does Medicare pay for flu shots at Walmart ?
Medicare covers one flu per season if you are enrolled in Medicare Part B.
Walmart is a Medicare-enrolled pharmacy and accepts assignment which means that you can get your flu shot at Walmart, and that there is no deductible or coinsurance to pay.
How much is a flu vaccine at Walmart if you have to pay ?
At Walmart without insurance, flu vaccines cost –
- quadrivalent flu vaccine – $25.00
- high dose flu vaccine (for the over 65’s) – $48.00
Why is it so important for the elderly to get their flu shots ?
In the United States people over 65 years old make up for 90% of all “flu-related deaths” and 60% of “flu-related hospital stays”.
Getting a flu shot each year is one of the best ways to help prevent and protect against this.
Flu shots are made in both a regular strength vaccine, and in a high strength vaccine, the high strength vaccine being the one which is usually recommended for seniors.
The source of the statistics is: NCOA Center for Benefits Access – “Vaccines: What Medicare pays for” which you can look at here.
With each and every year, an elderly person becomes increasingly more likely to catch the flu if they have contact with the virus – their resistance to the virus is less with time.
The chance of developing a serious complication from having flu, such as pneumonia, also increases with age.
Another factor which can put a person at greater risk is having certain underlying health conditions.
If the person has underlying health conditions, they can put them at increased risk of even greater complications from the flu virus.
Underlying conditions which can increase the risk of greater complications from the flu virus are –
- heart disease
- asthma or COPD
- diabetes
- liver disease
- kidney disease
- a compromised immune system
The demographic with the highest rate of underlying health conditions is the elderly population.
As you can see, the odds are stacked against a person as they get older, and that most elderly are at the greatest risk.
So try to make sure that your elderly loved ones get a flu shot each year to re-stack the odds a little in their favor – as long as their primary care doctor says there are no reasons not to.
What other vaccines are available at Walmart ?
Walmart offers the following vaccines in their pharmacies –
- Pneumonia (pneumococcal)
- Hepatitis A
- Hepatitis B
- Chickenpox (varicella)
- HPV (human papilloma virus)
- MMR (measles, mumps, rubella)
- Meningitis (meningococcal)
- Shingles (herpes zoster)
- Tetanus, diphtheria and whooping cough (pertussis) (Tdap)
Does Medicare pay for flu shots at Walgreens ?
Medicare will cover a flu shot at Walgreens if you are enrolled in Medicare Part B.
As Walgreens pharmacies are Medicare-enrolled and accept assignment, you should have no deductible to pay for flu shots, and no coinsurance to pay.
Walgreens should also bill Medicare directly so that you have nothing to pay out of pocket either.
How much is a flu shot at Walgreens if you have no insurance ?
Without insurance, flu vaccines at Walgreens cost –
- quadrivalent flu vaccine – $31.99
- high does flu vaccine – $54.00
Does Medicare cover flu shots at Rite Aid ?
If you have Medicare Part B coverage, you do not have to pay for a flu vaccine at Rite Aid.
Rite Aid is Medicare-enrolled and accepts assignment, which means you will have no deductible or coinsurance to pay to Medicare.
You should also have no out-of-pocket expenses as Rite Aid should bill Medicare directly.
How much is the flu vaccine at Rite Aid without insurance ?
Without insurance, flu shots at Rite Aid cost –
- quadrivalent flu vaccine – $31.99
- high dose flu vaccine – $60.99
Does Medicare pay for flu shots at Costco ?
If you are enrolled in Medicare Part B, a flu shot at Costco costs nothing.
With Medicare, you are covered for one flu shot per season with a Medicare provider.
Like the other pharmacies, Costco pharmacies are Medicare-enrolled and accept assignment, meaning that there is no deductible and no coinsurance to pay when you have a flu shot.
Costco’s pharmacies will bill Medicare directly, and you will have nothing to pay out of pocket.
How much do flu vaccines cost at Costco without insurance ?
For a flu shot without insurance at Costco you are going to pay –
- Afluria or Flucelvax quadrivalent flu vaccines (members and non-members) – $19.99
- Fluad high-dose flu vaccine for seniors – $46.99
Does Medicare pay for flu shots at CVS ?
So long you are enrolled in Medicare Part B, you can have one flu shot per season with a Medicare provider.
CVS is Medicare-enrolled and accepts assignment, and you are covered to get a flu shot there with Medicare Part B, just so long as you have not had one already in that flu season.
CVS will bill Medicare for the flu shot, and there will be no deductible or coinsurance for you to pay.
What do flu vaccines cost at CVS without insurance ?
Without insurance, flu shots at CVS cost –
- Seasonal flu vaccine -$31.99
- Fluzone high-dose flu vaccine for seniors – $51.99
I’m Gareth, the author and owner of Looking After Mom and Dad.com
I have been a caregiver for over 10 yrs and share all my tips here.
